Wishing you the best for 2012: Now better take a bite of those Black Eyed Peas

I don't ever remember starting a New Year without eating black eyed peas.  I even remember times as a child coming in from the very long drive from my Grandmother's in western Tennessee to our home in Oklahoma only to have my mother open a can of black eyed peas and give each of us a spoonful before we could collapse into bed.  Now of course those weren't the best black eyed peas I've ever eaten, but certainly the point was established.  One wouldn't dare start a New Year without at least a spoonful of black eyed peas!

Black eyed peas originated over 3000 years ago in Northern Africa.  It didn’t take them long to make their way into Greek and Roman cooking as well as much of Africa.  Black eyed peas are actually recorded in the Jewish Talmud around 500 CE in a description of the foods for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.  A Sephardic Jewish community immigrated from Spain and Portugal to Savannah, Georgia in the early 1700’s and would certainly have brought this traction with them.  This would have been the earliest association between the black eyed pea and New Year’s celebrations though was mostly likely limited to this community.

Black eyed peas ultimately made their way to the south with the West African slaves on the slave boats.  As with many other foods the black eyed peas eventually made their way from the table of the Slaves to the table of the Masters.  The tradition of eating black eyed peas in the American South dates probably dates to the Civil War and General Sherman's "March to the Sea".  In 1864 when General Sherman left Atlanta in flames to march to Savannah he destroyed all the property and crops in between- well almost all...  Sherman's troops left the black eyed peas untouched believing that the crop was only fit for animal consumption- and they'd either destroyed or taken all the livestock with them.  This was the manna from heaven for those left behind the destruction.  It was in that destruction that the tradition of eating black eyed peas on New Year's Day had it's beginning.  

Black eyed peas start with a good soaking!

Soak all beans or peas in water overnight before you cook them.  Just put them in a big bowl and cover them at least with 2 inches of water.  You can use all black eyed peas- or a combination like Don and I do.  Our mixture is half black eyed peas and half a variety of bean/peas from a "15 bean soup" package.

Though black eyed peas can be cooked on top of the stove- or even in the oven- on low heat, I always cook mine in a crock pot. A crock pot makes it easier to put everything together and leave it be without worrying that it will run out of water and burn.

And of course you add "stuff".

We added onion, garlic and celery (must have these) as well as a red pepper, jalapeno pepper, fennel and ham, (optional) and finally salt and pepper.  Cover completely with water (you can use the water you used to soak the beans) and start the crock pot.  They'll be ready at the end of the day.  

Now this basic recipe is the same regardless of whether you're cooking black eyed peas or any kind of bean pot.  The only essential ingredients are the peas/beans (pre-soaked of course) with onion, garlic, celery, salt and pepper.  You can use any kind of pork (bacon, ham or even Italian sausage)- just remember that it needs to be cooked before it's added to the pot.  We used a big slice of ham from the deli counter cut into small pieces in our black eyed peas.  Gramma Lucas called her beans "Buckaroo Beans" which included a can of tomato puree as well as oregano and chili powder.  Now if you start adding beef- rather than pork- you're getting dangerously close to chili- not a pot of beans at all.  And of course these can be made very successfully without any meat at all!

Recipe for Black Eyed Peas:

1 pound of blacked eyed peas (or combination). Presoak over night! 

3-5 cloves of garlic- minced.

1 onion- chopped

1 green or red pepper

3-4 stalks of celery- chopped

1/2 of a fennel bulb (optional)

1-2 Jalapeno (optional)

1/2 pound of ham or bacon (precooked only) (also optional)

Mix everything together in crock pot and leave to cook on high for 6 hours or low up to 10 hours.

Serve with cornbread (optional)

We enjoyed with a nice bottle of red wine from Spain in gratitude to the early Shephardic Jews who brought the tradition of black eyed peas and the New Year to the New Country...